Reclaiming method and apparatus



Dec. 18, 1962 H. F. DISCHINGER RECLAIMING METHOD AND APPARATUS 6Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed May 1, 1958 INVENTOR fleAwy/ D/scx/wg'eeBY ywfl TTORNEY5 Dec. 18, 1962 H. F. DISCHINGER 3,069,027

RECLAIMING METHOD AND APPARATUS Original Filed May 1, 1958 6Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR bwev ED/ScW/NG Y 22 fiw ie% 1M ATTORNEYS Dec.18, 1962 H. F. DISCH'INGER 3,069,027

RECLAIMING METHOD AND APPARATUS Original Filed May 1, 1958 6Sheets-Sheet 3 lNVE NTOR flaw/er EDIscM/W' Dec. 18, 1962 H. F.DISCHENGER 3,069,027

RECLAIMING METHOD AND APPARATUS Original Filed May 1, 1958 6Sheets-Sheet 4 m Wm.

/0 I n [MIL IN VEN TOR. I /E VRY Efi/SCH/IVGEP v fiTTO/PNEYS Dec. 18,1962 H. F. DISCHINGER 3,069,027

RECLAIMING METHOD AND APPARATUS Original Filed May 1, 1958 6Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR flew; v E fi/ cmmyse ATTORNEY Dec. 18, 1962 H.F. DISCHINGER RECLAIMING METHOD AND APPARATUS Original Filed May 1, 1958s Sheets-Sheet s United States Patent 9 3,069,027 RECLAIMING METHOD ANDAPPARATUS Henry F. Dischinger, Upper Montclair, N.J., assignor toHewitt-Robbins Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New YorkContinuation of application er. No. 732,268, May 1, 1958. Thisapplication May 23, 1962, Ser. No. 198,410

19 Claims. (Cl. 214-10) The present invention relates to a method ofreclaiming material from storage piles of such material and toreclaiming apparatus.

The invention has to do with the art of reclaiming coal, ore and thelike from a pile of such material made up of many layers. As is wellknown, the material is removed progressively from an end face of thepile so that, by continuously taking away portions of all of the layers,a uniform blend of the material in the various layers is obtained. Thisapplication is a continuation of application Serial No. 732,268, filedMay 1, 1958, now abandoned,

It is common practice to remove the material from such storage piles bymeans of a so-called reclaimer and one of the objects of the presentinvention is to provide a high capacity reclaimer especially adapted foruse with and to effect thorough blending from extra large storage pilesof layered material. As will presently appear, the preferred form ofreciaimer herein described and shown in the drawings, for the purpose ofillustrating the principles of the invention, is capable of carrying outan improved method of reclaiming which involves the handling of auniform volume of material, commensurate with the capacity of thereclaimer mechanism, notwithstanding the fact that the end face of thepile is commonly of triangular shape and hence of widely varying heightthroughout its Width.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a rear elevation of the preferred form of reclaimeraccording to the invention and, in the background, a pile of layeredmaterial to be reclaimed:

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the reclaimer and the end of the pile ofmaterial;

FlGURE 3 is an enlarged and partially sectioned elevational view of thereclaimer carriage unit of FEGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view, as on the line 44 of FIGURE 3; a

FIGURE 5 is a still further enlarged sectional view, as on the line 55of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a broken-out section, as on the line .6--6 of 'F'iGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view, as on the line 7--7 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 8 is a graph illustrating the speed regulation of the carriage;

FIGURE 9 is a diagrammatic illustration of the carriage drive and speedregulating'apparatus;

FIGURE 10 is a schematic wiring diagram for the carriage drive;

FIGURE ll is a schematic side elevational view of a pile of bulkmaterial and apparatus for operating in association with the pileaccording to the prior art;

FIGURE 12 is a top. plan View of the same;

FiGURE 13 is a partly sectioned end elevation.

The art to which the instant invention relates is perhaps best shown inits infancy in Messiter U.S. Patent #677,677, dated July 2, 1901. ll, 12and 13 hereinare exact copies of FIGURES i, 2 and 3 of this Messiterpatent. They are placed herein solely forpurpcses or" illustrating theprior art. With in fact, the FIGURES 7 blades. 'As is also well known anagitating device 3,069,027 Patented Dec. 18, 19-62 reference to thethree FIGURES ll, 12, and 13, it should be noted that according to themethod therein illustrated, bulk material, such as iron ore, coal orother material, to be used in a process, is laid down in what is oftenreferred to as a bed. The means of laying this material down in a bed asdiagrammatically illustrated in these FIGURES consists of a conveyor andan associated traveling tripper device a. The conveyor 12 receivesmaterial from a boat, train, or other transportation means, and by meansof the traveling tripper the material is spread along the length of thepile or bed 0.

Those skilled in the art will recognize this process. The continuoustravel back and forth of the tripping device results in a series oflayers being bedded down. One layer is placed on top of the other as thestripper moves continuously back and forth over the pile. By selectingsuitable lengths for the piles bedding systems can be made which areparticularly adapted to the type of transport apparatus employed tobring the material towards the pile. That is, the unit load, such as arailroad car, can govern the speed and length of travel of the tripper.

With reference to FIGURE 13: It will be noted that the material isdeposited at the apex of the pile and it falls down both sides. Thematerials are thus spread along the length of the pile and down itssides d, e.

Each material will appear at two points along the base of each crosssection; i.e., to each side of the center. (See FIGURE 13.) Thus nomatter where the ile is sliced, transversely of its length, eachmaterial placed in the pile will be found in the slice. It is understoodthat accuracy and occurrence of this perfect bedding is not usuallyachieved. However, this is very closely approached in properly designedand engineered installations.

. Again with reference to FIGURES 11, 1'2 and 13, there is illustrated adevice f by means of which it is intended that the pile be transverselycut at its base, and that the material be swept into a conveyor. It iscontemplated that the material will'slide down the face of the pile tobe swept to the side and that the under-cutting device will be iovedlongitudinally along the length of the bed. This reclaiming processbasically involves removing the bed in slices which extend laterallyacross the pile. This will result in maximum blending. By blending ismeant the intermixing of materials such that the entire output from thebed is substantially uniform in particle size and chemical analysis.

United States Patent #858,008 to Messiter shows a machine foraccomplishing reclaiming of the loose material as contemplated by theMessiter U.S. Method Patent #677,677.

This machine, which went into actual commercial use comprises a seriesof plow-like blades g connected to a chain (see FIGURES l2, and 13).ported on sprocket wheels and is driven so that the plow bladescontinually cut into the base of the material. As is also well known bythose skilled in the art the plow blades are actually supported onplates which are connected to the blades and each plate is supported byrollers running on tracks. The blades operate over -a base plate, andthe plow points extend forwardly of the edge of the plate. The machineis mounted by wheels on rails h extending along the sides of the pile,and is driven forwardly into the pile while the plows are driven overthe 7 plate. The plow points actually out the way for the plate toadvance into the pile. V

FIGURES 11-13 show the conveyor 1 and traveling hopper i into which thematerial is deposited by theplow is employed,

This chain is sup 3 This has a triangular frame which extends upwardlyand for vardly from the plows. The agitating device can be oscillated.This results in a movement of the agitating device against the materialin the pile face, and causes it to flow down the face to the plows.

The method of reclaiming disclosed in the Messiter patent, and theapparatus disclosed in the Messiter apparatus patent as stated above,and as is well known by those skilled in the art, went into commercialuse. Machines embodying these ideas are still in use and some are stillbeing sold. They were in fact highly successful commercially. They canbe found in use in the United States, England, Germany, France, Italy,Japan, Mexico, Africa, India and elsewhere.

This machine, and the method of reclaiming employed, have certainlimitations, however. These not only limit the size of piles and therate of reclaiming but also dictate certain operating costs. Theselimitations can be appreciated from again considering FIGURES 11 through13. It will be noticed therein that this reclaiming device consists of aseries of plows which extend along substantially the full length of themachine. These plows cut material from the pile, force it onto the plateand then drag it across the plate to the side where it is deposited inthe conveyor i. Thus the conveyor, the conveyormachine association, andthe plow-plate association on the machine provide inherent limitations.On the one hand this conveyor and its associated hopper must bedepressed below the surface of the ground. This creates drainage andother construction problems, renders the conveyor less likely to beproperly inspected and lubricated, and subjects the installation to downtime due to snow, ice or rain or clogging of the hopper and conveyor.

The reason however for the sunken conveyor and hopper resides in thefact that the plows must move off the plate and over the conveyor totransfer the material from the plate to the conveyor. One other designlimitation thus appears: the conveyor must be within the confines of themachine; i.e., the plows must extend over the conveyor. The machine mustthus be of greater Width than the pile face by a significant amount.Another disadvantage of this sunken conveyor construction is that itcannot be used by the tripper a. In most instances open piles of thetype shown are provided with a tripper running alongside the pile on apair of rails instead of the overhead tripper shown. The tripper isassociated with a boom stacker for reaching the material to the apex ofthe pile. The overhead conveyor and tripper is disfavored because of thecost of the supporting structure required therefor. A separate conveyormust be provided for this tripper because of the difficulty that wouldbe encountered in attempting to utilize a sunken conveyor for thispurpose. Also, a separate set of rails must be provided for the tripper.

Another aspect of the previously known method and apparatus which isalso well known is that it is necessary to provide a macadam-likesurface beneath the plate over which the plows operate. This is requiredto prevent bulging of the ground surface and resulting plate-groundinterference. The weight of the pile is the cause of bul ing or upheavalof the ordinary run of earth adjacent the perimeter of the pile. Thiscan jam the machine. Thus a specially prepared base is needed.

An additional adverse aspect of this known machine, due to the plate isthat material must be dragged across the plate by the plows. Thisrequires considerable power and often there is jamming and/ or bendingof blades due to wedging of particles between the plate and blades.Further, the plow blades themselves are subject to bending in frozenpiles and on striking large particles.

Yet another limitation of this older machine is that its harrow-likedevice extends across the full width of the pile. its size and the sizeof its agitating means or limiting factors, in addition to the fact thatthe pile cannot be wider with respect to the machine than the distancebetween one end of the machine and the sunken conveyor.

All the above ref rred to details and disadvantages of the heretoforeknown methods and machines are well known to those skilled in the art.

it will become apparent to those skilled in the art from perusing thefollowing description of the herein disclosed invention, that theinstant invention contemplates overcoming the restrictions imposed bythe above described method and apparatus of reclaiming. It should benoted, however that the above described machine and method of reclaimingwere the commercially accepted, most superior, method and apparatusheretofore known. They provided far superior results as contrasted towhat can be obtained with grab buckets and shovels, for example.

Some of the advantages of utilizing the instant invention are: the pilesize can be materially increased, the restrictions due to the continuouswearing and jamming of plow blades and plate, and damage thereto, areeliminated. The need for a sunken conveyor is eliminated. Further, it ispossible to utilize a single conveyor for placing the material into thepile and removing the material therefrom. In addition, it is notnecessary to employ a large harrow extending the full width of the pile.Also, according to the instant invention, a machine of much greatercapacity, that can operate with much less attention, and is moresuitable for automatic operation, is provided. In addition, theheretofore need to build a macadam surface underneath the pile iseliminated, and, as an added benefit, the reclaimer machinery elementscan now be raised above the surface of the ground where they are lesssubject to the effects of moisture, rain, snow, etc.

As shown in the drawings, the reclaimer according to my inventioncomprises a main frame, generally designated 10, which is supportedadjacent its ends by wheels 11 designed to run on the rails 12 extendinglongitudinally and adjacent the edges of a storage pile 13 of layeredmaterial to be reclaimed; and mounted on the main frame for movementlengthwise of it (that is, back and forth across the end face of thepile of material) are one or more material handling units 14. One suchunit is illustrated at the left of FIGURE 1 while a second such unit isindicated in dotted line toward the right of FiGURE 1. In general, theuse of two or more material handling units, each of which traverses aportion of the pile face, will improve the blend of the reclaimedmaterial.

On the forward or pile side of the material handling unit, there issuitably mounted a harrow 15, which may be of any preferred form, itsgeneral function (except as mentioned below) being conventional. As willbe understood, appropriate power means, such as variable speed motorsincorporated in the wheel trucks 16 of the main frame, or as may bepreferred, are provided for advancing the reclaimer on its rails towardthe end face of the pile at a desired speed.

As shown particularly in FIGURE 4, the main frame of the reclaimer is ofinverted triangular section, including two spaced upper side members 20and a lower or apex member 21, all extending longitudinally of the frameand united by members 22 and 22a. The upper side members 20 supportrails 23 (FIGURE 7) on which the material handling unit 14 runs intraversing the main frame. The material handling unit includes acarriage having a framework 24, which is likewise of inverted triangularcross section (FIGURE 4) surrounding the triangular structure of themain frame and carrying flanged wheels 25 engaging the rails 23. At itslower end, the carriage framework Ed is shown as incorporating guides 26which engage with opposite sides of the lower or apex member 21 of thetriangular structure of the main frame.

Power means are provided for traversing the material iandling unit withrespect to the main frame. As shown, the power means comprises avariable speed, reversible electric motor 30 (FIGURES 2 and 4) mountedon the carriage and which drives a shaft 31 carrying spaced sprockets32, over which chains 33 pass from idler sprockets 32a. The chainsextend substantially from one end to the other end of the main frame andare anchored or fixed to the main frame at their ends (FIGURE 2).

The mechanism by which the material is reclaimed at the foot of the endface of the pile comprises a bucket wheel, generally designated at 40,rotatably mounted on the traversing carriage unit 14. The bucket wheelencircles the main frame and also the carriage framework (FIGURE 4) andhas spaced, annular side members 41 (FIGURE with flanges 42 formedthereon. Rails 43 carried on the inner periphery of the flanges areengaged by flanged wheels 44 which are mounted on the carriage frameworkadjacent the outer ends of circumferentially spaced shafts 45. Theflanged wheels 44 are free-running, of course, to support the wheel forrotation about the carriage in a vertical plane normal to the end faceof the pile.

As shown, the annular side members 41 of the wheel are united by buckets46 spaced around the wheel and dis posed to enter the base of the pileand scoop up material from it as the wheel is rotated counter-clockwiseas viewed in FIGURE 4.

Power means are provided for so rotating the bucket wheel, such as theelectric motors 55 which, through reduction units 56, drive thesprockets 57 which engage rollers 58 spaced around and suitablysupported on the outer periphery of flanges 42 of the annular sidemembers of the wheel (FIGURES 5 and 6). a

The traversing carriage also supports and is surmounted by an operatorscab 59 in which the necessary controls may be located, including thatofchain 60 (FIGURE 4) by which the angle of attack of the harrow may beadjusted in the usual manner. As shown in FIGURE 2, the base or lowerend of the harrow is notch-shaped, so that it partially surrounds thewheel buckets and thereby tends to prevent such cascading of thematerial as might overload the buckets or feed to them more materialthan they could handle.

As Will be seen, the power drive means, both for traversing the carriageand for rotating the wheel, are

mounted on a platform structure 62 secured to the upper part of thecarriage.

The material scooped up by the wheel buckets is raised to the upper partof their path of travel and is there dumped on to a suitable conveyormounted on the main frame of the reclaimer and extending longitudinallyof it through the center of the wheel, to transport the material to oneend or the other of the reclaimer (in this instance, the left hand endas viewed in FIGURE 1). As shown particularly in FIGURE 4, the bucketsdump their loads into the wide mouth of the funnel-shaped receiver 65mounted on the traversing carriage, the open bottom of the receiverbeing disposed to discharge into the space between the side plates orbaffles 66 which are secured to and extend the length of the main frameand serve to guide the descending material on to the upper run 67 of apower driven conveyor belt supported on troughing idlers 68. The loweror return run of the belt is indidicated at 69. As indicated in FIGURES1 and 2, the reclaimer conveyor may discharge to a ground-supportedconveyor7ll by which the reclaimed material is carried to itsdestination. The ground conveyor may be located at either end of themain frame with the reclaimer conveyor being operated in an appropriatedirection.

The carriage is traversed continuously back and forth acrossthe end-faceof the pile of material, with its bucket wheel rotating; and, when asingle carriage unit is employed, as in the form illustrated, and thesingle wheel serves the whole pile face( rather than only a portion ofit, as would be the case Where two carriages were traversed between thecenter and the ends of the main frame), the reclaimer lends itself tooperation by an extremely efficient method. Under these conditions, the

speed of traversing the carriage and the speed of rotation of the wheel,for a predetermined bite of the wheel into the pile, are correlated toprovide for reclaiming at a uniform rate. This may be accomplished byrotating the wheel at a constant speed and regulating the traverse speedso that it is greater toward the outer portions of the usuallytriangular pile face, Where the height of the face is less, and is lessin the central portion of the traverse, where the height is greater. Asthe result of so operating the reclaimer, the amount of materialavailable to. the buckets is substantially constant throughout thetraversing of the carriage and the reclaimer is thereby enabled tooperate at maximum capacity for the particular. wheel and the reclaimingoperation to. be performed in minimum time.

As will berecognized, the magnitude of the traverse, speed and therequired speed variations between the central and end portions of thepath of traverse of the carriage may readily be plotted for theparticular installation. For a triangular pile face, the relationshipbetween the speed of traverse (v) and the height of the pile (h) may beexpressed by the equation:

The Equation 1 is a hyperbolic function and is graphically representedin FIGURE 8 by curve 71 where the speed of traverse is plotted againsttravel of the material handling unit with respect to the pile face.

The means for automatically varying the speed of the material handlingunit as it moves across the pile face includes a speed reducing unit 72which is driven from one of the idler sprockets which directs the drivechain 33 around the sprocket 32 on the drive shaft 31, as shown inFIGURE 9. The speed reducing unit is geared so that its output shaftmakes one complete revolution during movement of the material handlingunit across the pile face. The output shaft 73 drives a speed controldevice 74, such as a rheostat or inductor, in circuit with the drivemotor 30 shown in FIGURE 10.

The speed control device 74 may be connected in the field circuit of thedrive motor 30, as shown in FIGURE 10, and in this instance is arrangedto vary the speed of the drive motor from a minimum speed (b) to amaximum speed (c), as represented in FIGURE 8, as it rotates through andback to the minimum speed (b) as it rotates through the remaining 180 to360". An adjustable resistance or inductor 75 is also connected in thearmature circuit for the drive motor and the setting of this resistorwill determine the minimum speed (b) at which the unit moves in itstravel across the pile face.

An adjustable resistor or inductor 76 which is conhv=k (where k is aconstant) nected in series with the speed control device 74 in the fieldcircuit of the drive motor determines the maximum speed (c) at which theunit moves in its travel across the pile face. In other words, thesetting of the resistors 75 and 76, respectively, determines the speeds(b) and (c) between which the speed control device automatically variesthe speed at which the unit travels across the pile face. The resistors75 and 76 are manually ad justable so that the maximum and minimumspeeds can be readily set as desired. An adjustable'resistor 77 may alsobe connected in shunt with the speed control device 74 to provide a finecontrol of the range of speeds at which the unit travels.

As shown in FIGURE 10, reversing switches 78 and 79 are also connectedin the field circuit of the drive motor. One of the reversing switchesis operated each time the material handling unit reaches the end of itstravel across the pile face in one direction and thus, reverses thedirection of rotation of the drive motor, causing the material handlingunit to be driven across the pile face in the opposite direction.

It will be understood that other suitable automatic or semi-automaticcontrols may be employed to carry out thedescribe'd method of operation.

It Will also be understood that various changes and modifications may bemade in the method and in the particular embodiment of the inventionillustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of theinvention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a reclaimer, a wheeled frame of inverted triangular sectionincorporating upper side frame members and a lower frame member, a railcarried by each of the upper side frame members, a carriage havingwheels adapted to run on said rails, a bucket wheel rotatably mounted onsaid carriage and encircling the said frame, means mounted on thecarriage for traversing it back and forth on said rails between the endsof said frame and means on the carriage for simultaneously rotating thebucket wheel.

2. In a reclaimer, a wheeled frame of inverted triangular sectionincorporating upper side frame members and a lower frame member, a railcarried by each of the upper side frame members, a carriage of invertedtriangular section surrounding the frame and having wheels adapted torun on said rails and guide means adapted to engage the said lower framemember and a bucket wheel rotatably mounted on the carriage andencircling it and the said frame.

3. In a reclaimer, a wheeled frame of inverted triangular sectionincorporating upper side frame members and a lower frame member, a railcarried by each of the upper side frame members, a carriage havingwheels adapted to run on said rails, a bucket wheel rotatably mounted onsaid carriage and encircling the said frame, a platform supported on thecarriage and means mounted on the platform for traversing the carriageon the rails and for rotating the bucket wheel.

4. In a reclaimer, a wheeled frame of inverted triangular sectionincorporating upper side frame members and a lower frame member, a railcarried by each of the upper side frame members, a carriage havingwheels adapted to run on said rails, a bucket wheel rotatably mounted onsaid carriage and encircling the said frame, rollers supported on aperipheral portion of the wheel and drive means for the wheel mounted onthe carriage, including a sprocket adapted to engage the said rollers.

5. In a reclaimer of the type described which has a frame extendingacross the face of a pile of material and a material handling unitmounted on said frame and being movable across the face of said pile,said unit in cluding movable buckets engaging with and lifting materialfrom the face of the pile, the improvement which comprises an electricmotor having drive-connections to the material handling unit, said motorbeing reversible for moving said unit across the face of the pile in op-'posite directions, and means for varying the speed at which thematerial handling unit moves across the face of the pile so as to removematerial from the face of the pile at a uniform rate, said meansincluding a speed reducer connected to the drive motor and a speedcontrol device in circuit with the motor, said speed control devicebeing connected to and driven by the speed reducer.

6. in a reclaimer of the type escribed which has a frame extendingacross the face of a pile of material and a material handling unitmounted on said frame and being movable across the face of said pile,said unit including movable buckets engaging with and lifting materialfrom the face of the pile, the improvement which comprises an electricmotor having drive connections to the material handling unit, said motorbeing reversible for moving said unit across the face of the pile inopposite directions, and means for varying the speed at which thematerial handling unit moves across the face of the pile so as to removematerial from the face of the pile at a uniform rate, said meansincluding a speed reducer connected to the drive motor, a speed controldevice in circuit with the motor, said speed control device beingconnected to and driven by the speed reducer, and manually adjustableresistors in circuit with the motor for controlling the maximum andminimum speeds of movement of the material handling unit across the faceof the pile.

7. In a reclaimer of the character described, the combination comprisinga wheeled frame of triangular section incorporating upper side framemembers and a lower frame member, a carriage movably carried on theupper frame members, a bucket wheel rotatably mounted on said carriageand encircling said frame, said wheel being rotatable in a verticalplane on an axis extending parallel to the frame and discharging onto aconveyor located inside of the triangular frame and extending lengthwisethereof, drive means on the carriage for rotating said bucket wheel anda second drive means on the carriage for moving the carriage and thebucket wheel lengthwise with respect to the frame across the face of apile of stored material, said carriage drive means including areversible electric motor, chain sprockets driven by said motor andchains engaging with said sprockets, said chains extending lengthwise ofthe frame and being anchored at the ends thereof, and means for varyingthe speed at which the carriage moves across the face of the pile ofmaterial so as to obtain uniform loading of the conveyor from thedischarge of the bucket Wheel.

8. In a reclaimer of the character described, the combination as definedin claim 7 wherein the means for varying the speed of the carriageincludes a speed reducer connected to and driven by the carriage drivemotor and a speed control device connected in circuit with the motor anddriven by the speed reducer.

9. In a reclaimer of the character described, the combination as definedin claim 7 wherein the means for varying the speed of the carriageincludes a speed reducer connected to and driven by the carriage drivemotor, a speed control device connected in circuit with the motor anddriven by the speed reducer, and adjustable resistors connected incircuit with the carriage drive motor for controlling the maximum andminimum speeds thereof.

10. In a reclaimer of the type which includes an elongated, wheeledframe having a pair of spaced upper side frame members which is adaptedto extend across and to be advanced toward an end face of a pile ofmaterial, the improvement which comprises a supporting carriage movablymounted on the upper side frame members of the wheeled frame, saidcarriage being movable lengthwise of the wheeled frame between the endsthereof and parallel to the end face of the pile of material; a bucketwheel rotatably mounted on and encircling said movable carriage, saidbucket wheel having a series of spaced digging buckets extending fromthe outer circumference thereof and being rotatable in a vertical planenormal to the end face of the pile of material; means for traversing thebucket Wheel back and forth between the ends of the frame, means forsimultaneously rotating the bucket wheel, and a harrow adjustablysupported from the carriage and engaging with the end face of the pileof material, said harrow having a notch-shaped lower end portionextending on opposite sides of the buckets on the bucket wheel at onepoint in the rotation thereof.

11. In a reclaimer of the type which includes an elongated, wheeledframe having a pair of spaced upper side frame members which is adaptedto extend across and to be advanced toward an end face of a pile ofmaterial, the improvement which comprises a supporting carriage movablymounted on the upper side frame members of the wheeled frame, saidcarriage being movable lengthwise of the wheeled frame between the endsthereof and parallel to the end face of the pile of material; a bucketwheel rotatably mounted on and encircling said movable carriage, saidbucket wheel being rotatable in a vertical plane normal to the end faceof the pile of material; means for traversing the bucket whcel back andforth between the ends of the frame, said means including anelectrically operable motor and a control circuit for regulating thespeed of said motor, said control circuit being arranged to reduce thespeed of the motor when the movable carriage is at the center of the endface of the pile of material; and means for simultaneously rotating thebucket wheel during movement of the carriage on the frame.

12. In a reclaimer of the type which includes an elongated, wheeledframe having a pair of spaced upper side frame members which is adaptedto extend across and to be advanced toward an end face of a pile ofmaterial, the improvement as defined in claim 11 which includes anendless belt conveyor mounted on and extending lengthwise of the frame,said belt conveyor passing through the center of the bucket wheel andbeing positioned to re ceive material discharged therefrom.

13. In a reclaimer of the character described, the combinationcomprising an elongated, wheeled frame adapted to'extend across and tobe advanced toward the end face of a pile of material to be reclaimed,said frame including a pair of upper side frame members having a spacetherebetween, a carriage movably supported on said upper side framemembers; a bucket wheel rotatably mounted on and encircling thecarriage, said bucket wheel being rotatable in a vertical plane anddischarging into the space between the upper side frame members; aharrow adjustably supported from and movable with the carriage, saidharrow having an upper portion engaging with the end face of the pile ofmaterial at a point above the bucket wheel and having a notched lowerend portion extending on opposite sides of the bucket wheel at one pointin the rotary movement of the wheel through the end face of the pile ofmaterial, power means for traversing the carriage and the bucket wheellengthwise with respect to the frame; and a second power means on thecarriage for rotating the bucket wheel.

' 14. In a reclaimer of the character described, the combination asdefined in claim 13 wherein the power means for traversing the carriageincludes an electrically operable motor mounted on the carriage, asprocket wheel driven by said motor and a chain engaging with and drivenby the sprocket wheel, said chain extending lengthwise of the frame andbeing fixed thereto at its ends.

15. In a reclaimer of the character described, the combination asdefined in claim 13 wherein the power means includes an electricallyoperable motor mounted on the carriage and a control circuit forregulating the speed said motor.

16. In a reclaimer of the character described having an elongated frameand a carriage movably supported on said frame, the improvement whichcomprises a bucket wheel rotatably mounted on the movable carriage and aharrow carried by the carriage and extending outwardly therefrom abovethe bucket wheel, said harrow having an upper end extending beyond thebucket wheel and having a divided lower end extending outwardly withrespect to the bucket wheel on opposite sides thereof.

17. In an apparatus for reclaiming piled bulk material, the combinationcomprising a frame, means movably supporting said frame for movementinto reclaiming relationship with the face of a pile ofbulk material, abucket wheel mounted on said frame for rotation about a horizontal axis,said wheel surrounding a portion of the frame and being movable intodigging relationship with the face of the pile when said frame is movedinto said reclaiming'relationship with the pile, .a conveyor supportedon the frame ina position to receive material discharged from the wheel,said conveyor being operative to move said material along the frame,pile raking means associated with the wheel and adapted to rake the faceof the pile at a point above said wheel when the wheel is in diggingrelationship with the face of the pile, said pile raking means extendingabove the wheel and forwardly with respect to the wheel, said pileraking means being operative and in operative relation to the wheel soas to rake the face of the pile which is in digging relationship withsaid wheel and to cascade loosened material downwardly over the face ofthe pile in a regulated manner into a position to be reclaimed by thewheel while the latter operates on the base of the pile, said wheel andsaid pile raking means being mounted for movement along the face of thepile, and means for moving said wheel and pile raking means in alongitudinal plane relative to the frame and along the face of the pile.

18. In a reclaiming apparatus adapted to reclaim piled bulk material ina uniformly blended condition, a frame, means movably supporting saidframe for movement normal of a pile of bulk material to be reclaimedinto reclaiming relationship with the pile, a bucket wheel mounted onsaid frame for rotation about a horizontal axis and for movement intodigging relationship with the face of a pile of material when said frameis moved into said reclaiming relationship, a pile raking meansassociatedwith the wheel and adapted to rake the face of the pile at apoint above the Wheel when the Wheel is in digging relationship with theface of the pile, means mounting said pile raking means on said frame inoperative relation to said wheel with said pile raking means extendingupwardly and forwardly with respect to said wheel so as to be in a pileraking relationship with the face of a pile which is in said diggingrelationship with said wheel, means for moving said wheel and said pileraking means in a longitudinal plane along the face of a pile while thesaid wheel and said pile raking means are in said operative relation toeach other so as to rake the face of a pile which is in diggingrelationship with said wheel and cascade material downwardly over theface of the pile in a regulated manner into position to be reclaimed bysaid bucket Wheel while the latter operates on the face of the pile withwhich it is in said digging raking the face of said pile over an areawhich extends a substantial distance above said bottom over saidrestricted portion and which extends to the side thereof, but which areais substantially restricted in width as compared to the total width ofsaid face so as to cascade material from a substantial area of the face,as compared with said restricted portion, but from a relatively smallarea as compared to the total area of said face downwardly of the faceto the base thereof in a controlled manner into position to be dug, andso as to control the slope of said face through raking said face andwhile cascading material downwardly of said face to the base thereof,and simultaneously jointly moving the restricted digging area and theraking area along the said face from side to side thereof.

No references cited,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE; OF CORRECTION Patent No,3,069,027 December 18, 1962 Henry F, Dischinger It is hereby certifiedthat error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction andthat the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

In the grant, lines 2 and 12, and in the heading to the pr ntedspecification, line 4, for "Hewitt-Robbins.

Incorporated", each occurrence, read Hewitt-Robins Incorporated column1, line 41, for "reclaimedp" read reclaimed: column 2 line 15, for"stripper" read trlpper column 6, line 35, for "75" read 73 Signedandsealed this 8th day of October 19653,

EDWIN L.. REYNOLDS ERNEST w. SWIDER Attesting Officer A c t i ngCommissioner of v Patents

